Chick with scissor beak :(

[PouleChick]

So just to update. Our dear little 5 week old Araucana Edward Scissor beak went sharply downhill yesterday / today and I had to make the call to put him down. Until then he'd been running up to me everytime I went down there where today he seemed weak so I just had to act. Thankfully I'd found out from my neighbour that you can buy ether at the pharmacy here so it was very peaceful. My 12 year old son held him (totally totally his choice) and I just did it with a cotton ball with a cotton ball square thing over his beak and he just fell asleep . yes I really wish I'd made the call earlier as he was just so so so tiny and as some of you have said you did the same thing first time around - I'll definately make the call earlier next time.

Ether will work very well, but remember that it's very very flammable!!!

Thanks Mary - I'll have to work out somewhere safe to store it if that is the case! It is a 125 ml bottle so not tiny but used here to remove ticks so I guess people just keep it at home. I wonder if it has something added to make it not flamable? Don't want to get rid of it as still heaps left and it was fairly dear really.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sorry to hear that your chick didn't make it, but I'm glad you kept an eye on things and were able to give him a chance, even while preparing to take action when it became obvious that it was too much of a struggle for him.

 

[Folly's place]

Don't store it in the house! Or the frig! Find out what's recommended for storage, and be careful. Nowhere near an open flame. It's heavier than air, so will be at ground level.
Mary

 

[PouleChick]

Thanks everyone.
Mary - I'm going to speak to the Pharmacy and see what they suggest!

 

[vivaciouswoman]

So just to update. Our dear little 5 week old Araucana Edward Scissor beak went sharply downhill yesterday / today and I had to make the call to put him down. Until then he'd been running up to me everytime I went down there where today he seemed weak so I just had to act. Thankfully I'd found out from my neighbour that you can buy ether at the pharmacy here so it was very peaceful. My 12 year old son held him (totally totally his choice) and I just did it with a cotton ball with a cotton ball square thing over his beak and he just fell asleep . yes I really wish I'd made the call earlier as he was just so so so tiny and as some of you have said you did the same thing first time around - I'll definately make the call earlier next time.


Thanks Mary - I'll have to work out somewhere safe to store it if that is the case! It is a 125 ml bottle so not tiny but used here to remove ticks so I guess people just keep it at home. I wonder if it has something added to make it not flamable? Don't want to get rid of it as still heaps left and it was fairly dear really.

Thank you SO MUCH for returning to let us know how things ended up.

 

[vivaciouswoman]

OK I think that it is worse again today - I'm not sure if I'm imagining it but I think it looks like his little head is going a bit skewed. I watched him eating and he seems to spend much more time at the feeder than the others. I have taken as many pics as I could manage from different angles (I've cropped the images so they aren't super clear). What do you guys think?

This is the shot that I think you can see that his head seems to be going a funny shape.

That's the mirror image of our Little Miss Crossbeak, who we are hoping will live, but I have severe doubts about. She's 5 weeks old and only 122 grams, even with daily intensified hand feeding of liquified feed (water + egg + chick starter crumble). Her lower jawbone is completely out of whack, and her lower beak juts out to her left. The tough thing about the lower beak being so far off center is that the chick doesn't scoop in the right direction. The pecking is to the front, aligned with the top part of the beak, and that's just not effective for getting food to the tongue and down the throat. Thanks for this thread and for finishing the story. Much appreciated!

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry! Every chick isn't meant to live, and you have really tried. How miserable to be so hungry all the time, and slowly starve. Don't wait too long.
Mary

 

[PouleChick]

Thanks for this thread and for finishing the story. Much appreciated!

You are welcome and sorry to hear about your little one. I really wish I'd acted earlier if that helps at all with making the call.